IMMIGRATION ISSUES Thanks to those of you who were able to call Congress in support of Dreamers. More than 48,000 calls were made to the DC offices of U.S. Senators and Representatives. Also last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined the government's request to hear its “appeal before judgment” on the Deferred Action for Childhood [...]
The Iowa Catholic Conference offers these comments on House Study Bill 671 based on the principles of taxation found in Catholic social teaching. There are two basic moral principles that should govern the collection and distribution of taxes as they benefit the State of Iowa and its people. Legislators should practice distributive justice wisely, so [...]
First, a reminder. Today, Monday, is the U.S. bishops’ national Call-in Day for Dreamers. You are asked to contact your members of Congress to help the nearly 1.8 million “Dreamers,” who are young people without papers brought into the United States by their parents as children. They may face deportation proceedings as soon as March [...]
Lawmakers are proposing a set of wide-ranging and complex changes to Iowa’s tax code and approaching the process at a pace that makes it difficult even for experts to analyze the total effect of the legislation. Given the process now underway, the Iowa Catholic Conference offers these comments on basic principles of taxation and a [...]
The first legislative “funnel” deadline was last Friday. That means any bill that has not passed out of a committee by now is, in theory, dead for the session, with the exception of budget and tax bills. However, nothing is dead for certain until the legislature adjourns. Here’s some updates on issues of concern … [...]
The Iowa Catholic Conference opposes state Constitutional amendments that would make the regulation of guns more difficult. The amendments would need to pass both chambers of the legislature in two successive General Assemblies before being submitted to a vote of the people. Senate Study Bill 3155 and House Joint Resolution 2009 have passed the respective [...]
The first Iowa legislative deadline is coming up. Any non-budget bill has to pass out of a committee in one chamber by Friday to remain eligible. Legislation addressing one of the ICC’s major priorities was introduced last week by the chair of the House Education Committee, Rep. Walt Rogers (R-Cedar Falls). House Study Bill 651, [...]
The ICC provided the following comments to a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Feb. 8, 2018 regarding SSB 3143, a bill to stop abortion after a heartbeat can be detected: The Iowa Catholic Conference supports the life-affirming intent of “heartbeat legislation.” In fact, science shows that life begins at conception. We acknowledge the efforts of legislators [...]
2018 statement on death penalty final We speak in opposition to the use of the death penalty in any form and to its possible reinstatement in Iowa. Marking the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church last fall, Pope Francis said the death penalty is, in itself, “contrary to the Gospel, because a [...]
Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed Senate File 512, a bill that builds on efforts to address water quality challenges across the state of Iowa. The new law is estimated to generate more than $280 million over the next 12 years for water quality projects by creating a funding stream from a mix of existing state [...]